Description:

Ernest Hemingway
Havana, Cuba, March 25, 1851
Ernest Hemingway Signed & Engrossed Check, Endorsed by Hemingway's Cuban Friend & Estate Conservator
DS
A fine partly-printed check drawn on the First National Bank of Boston, 6.375" x 2.75, Havana, March 25, 1952, boldly engrossed and signed by Hemingway in dark blue ink. Endorsed on verso by Roberto Herrera Sotolongo, Hemingway's close friend. Expected wear including flattened folds and a few wrinkles, and punch cancels at middle which are clear of signature. Near fine.

Roberto Herrera Sotolongo (d. 1970) was the personal secretary, friend, fishing buddy, and estate executor of Ernest Hemingway's Cuban property, Finca Vigia, or "Lookout Farm," the author's rural retreat in San Francisco de Paula, Cuba.

Sotolongo and Hemingway had first met in 1942 when Sotolongo joined Hemingway's submarine patrol crew aboard the "Pilar" during World War II. The pair became good friends while sharing their mutual interests in hunting, fishing, and drinking at their favorite Havana bar, La Floridita. They also attended bullfights together, and Sotolongo, an avid photographer, captured many photos and movies of all these activities.

Hemingway called Sotolongo "El Monstruo" ("the Monster"), and signed much of his correspondence to Sotolongo as "Mr. Papa." By the mid-1940s, Hemingway was traveling extensively and for long periods of time, leaving his Cuban home in the hands of Sotolongo.

After Hemingway's 1961 suicide, Sotolongo was appointed to represent Hemingway's affairs in Cuba, including the deeding of his home and its contents to the Cuban people "as a place of opportunity for wider education and research, to be maintained in his memory." The property became a museum, and Sotolongo acted as Conservator until his death in 1970.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.375" x 2.75"
  • Medium: DS

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October 30, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
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University Archives

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